MY SUN DAY NEWS
October 18, 2012
Any study of the history of jazz music would be incomplete without the inclusion of another royal member: William “Count” Basie. Born in 1904, he lived for 80 years as one of the most revered American jazz pianists, bandleaders, and composers. His first piano lessons came from his mother, and he was performing in his teens.
On a recent fall Sunday evening, neighbors Bob and Roberta Langham invited Judy and me to join them for dinner at Fitzgerald’s Restaurant & Gift Shop in Genoa City, WI. They had high praises for their fish broil set in a unique octagon-shaped home. Mike and Emma Burns also joined us for the 45-minute trip to the historic restaurant.
I’ll bet I can get you to read the rest of this column by just posing this question: Do you remember using the expression “let’s pretend” when you were a kid?
This week, Judy and I were joined by neighbors Stan and Esther for a classic Italian meal at La Trattoria Mariano, a new restaurant in Algonquin Commons that was previously in Lake in the Hills. This new location should be a boon to their business, as it is much more visible and closer to both Del Webb locations in Huntley and Elgin.
There are two “Dukes” I revere: John Wayne, of course, and Duke Ellington. Since this is a column about jazz, let’s look at the legend that is the Duke of Jazz. Surely there aren’t too many people in the world who haven’t heard of him or heard his music.
Recently, my wife Judy and I had dinner at the Burns’ home, and Emma served a wonderful chicken dish. I asked her if she would share the recipe with the community and, of course, she agreed to do so. Here’s your chance to try Emma’s special recipe.
Whenever Judy and I are going to be in downtown Chicago, we try to work in dinner in Greek Town. Previously, the only restaurant we patronized was The Parthenon, but this time we decided to give another restaurant a try. We had heard good reports on Greek Islands, which is just a block north of the Parthenon. So here is a review by comparison of the two establishments.
It’s time to put the spotlight on a local group – a very young local group. This week, it’s all about Living Out Loud (LOL), the grandchildren of Kay and Lou Beugnet of N.33. The kids are triplet boys, Andrew, Steven, and Jason, age 12, and sister Kaela, 14.
During a recent weekend, our family met at Bahama Breeze to celebrate a birthday. Kristin, my daughter-in-law, chose this island-themed grill as the site for her celebration. It was a new venture for most of our family, so we didn’t have any expectations or pre-conceived notions about this place. At the entrance, island music and décor set an appealing, feel-good atmosphere.
I love it when a new group suddenly catches my interest. This week, it’s all about The Real Group, which actually isn’t new at all. Born and raised in Sweden, TRG recently celebrated its 25th anniversary as Sweden’s number one a cappella group.
It came to my attention that there is, of all things, a Polish restaurant in Marengo! My curiosity piqued, I called Dave and Marlene Mahlke, who agreed to join us for dinner at Bigo’s Polish Buffet. They agreed to help us evaluate this establishment. The restaurant is located on Route 20 on the western edge of town. It’s about a 25-minute ride from Huntley.
In a previous column, I wrote about the man most responsible for the big band era, Benny Goodman. This week, it’s all about the man I consider the BG successor, bringing big band into the 21st century: Gordon Goodwin and his Big Phat Band.
Recently, I joined 15 of my neighbors and attended the N.33 Men’s Luncheon held at the Blackstone Golf Club in Marengo. The restaurant is located on Rt. 20 before entering Marengo. It’s about a 20-minute ride from Sun City.
In my last column, I wrote about a legend in the music world, Benny Goodman. This week, it’s the other end of the spectrum, as the subject of this edition is a relative newcomer, Renee Olstead. Perhaps you remember this young vocalist from a TV sitcom called “Still Standing.”
This week, I’m writing about a unique Algonquin eatery called The Village Vintner. This recently re-opened business is now a restaurant with a winery and brewery on the premises. It’s only one of two in the state to be licensed as such.
I’m sure there isn’t a Sun Day reader who hasn’t heard of Benny Goodman, “The King of Swing.” My first encounter with him and his band occurred while I was beginning my musical career as a drummer in the Carl Schurz High School band. One of my best friends and a fellow member of the Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps, Bruce Tietgen, had saved his money so he could purchase a prized album, “The 1938 Concert at Carnegie Hall.”
A number of weeks ago, I gave you my creation, a variation on a traditional apple pie that included bananas sautéed in butter, brown sugar, and caramel sauce. I called it “Banapple Caramel Pie.” Later, I got the idea that this same combination could be made into crepes. So I took the idea to my friend, Konstantinos Drivas, the owner of Burnt Toast restaurants.
This week, I’m writing about a new Algonquin eatery called Rainbow Restaurant & Pancake House. The restaurant is located in Algonquin on Rt. 31 about a mile south of Algonquin Rd.
Next up is one of my favorite jazz vocalists, seven-time Grammy Award-winning American jazz singer, Al Jarreau.
This week I’m pleased to tell you about a sub shop that knocked the socks off my lunch guests and me. Bubs Subs is located in Algonquin, in front of Home Depot on Randall Road, just south of Algonquin Road.
Next up is one of my favorite big band leaders, pianists, composers, and arrangers, Music Hall of Famer Stan Kenton.
Vince (Chuck) Maniscalco is my personal cooking guru. When we met in Sun City, we learned that both of us had grandparents born in Sicily, the island a short distance from the southern coast of Italy.
Today’s recipe comes from Carolyn Schachtner.
Next up is one of my favorite vocalists and songwriters, Michael Franks.
One only needs to hear the 5/4 strains of “Take Five” to immediately recognizes it as this group’s signature tune from their most famous album by the same name. For those non-musicians, the time signature of 5/4 simply indicates that there are five beats to every measure instead of the most commonly used 4/4 time.
Joan Anthony is a special lady. I first met Joan through her husband Nelson, who is one of the members of my tennis play group. We had dinner at the Nelsons one evening, and that’s when I discovered that Joan is a wonderful cook. I kept bugging her to share one of her heirloom recipes.
This week, it’s all about lunch. I will focus on a few of the options in the area, some new, and some old standbys. Rather than rate them, I will limit my comments to the menus. Let’s start with one of the best and a no-brainer.
First, a few words of explanation about this new column. Each edition will feature musicians from various generations and genres with a variety of styles, each talented and unique in their time. My primary objective is to introduce or re-introduce readers to some of the great musicians of our time. Secondly, I hope that I am able to assist readers who are unaccustomed to using the Internet to find and listen to music. I will also be calling your attention to local performances of jazz, rock, classical, and other musical styles at nearby venues.
This week, Judy and I chose one of the mainstay eateries of downtown Elgin, Al’s Cafe. We walked into Al’s not knowing what to expect. The restaurant is on Dupage Court, which has been turned into a pedestrian-only block. The 2-story building and its small entrance really provide no clues as to what was in store for us. This was a Saturday night about 6 p.m., so we were surprised to be able to walk in and get seated immediately.
Jean Williamson offers a pie that is sure to be a hit at your next gathering. But first, there’s a story behind how Jean’s recipe found its way to my column this week. Last month, while we were in Florida, Joyce and Larry Fik of Sun City invited us to dinner at their Bonita Springs home. They also invited another Huntley couple, Jean and Ron Williamson, whom we had never met.
